The home has always been the center of Esmeralda's life, as she cared for ill family members, helped raise her grandson, Bryan, and doted on her canine companion, Delilah.
But at age 91, she found herself confined to her home, debilitated by severe aortic stenosis. She required oxygen, and could only gaze through the window at her cherished rose bushes. “I couldn't speak five sentences without running out of air,” she said.
In October 2007, Esme underwent a procedure as part of a U.S. feasibility study and received the Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve with the Ascendra delivery system. After a short stay in the hospital, she returned home. At her latest check-up, she invited her doctors to her 100th birthday celebration and talked about a planned visit to her native Uruguay.
One of her physicians, Todd Dewey, M.D., said, “Thanks to this clinical trial, we are able to see high risk patients who are in need of aortic valve replacement. With the transcatheter valve therapy, we can consider them for the valve replacement procedure they need.”
View the Edwards SAPIEN Transcatheter Heart Valve with the Ascendra Delivery System.
Caution: The Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve, and the RetroFlex and Ascendra delivery systems are investigational devices. Limited by Federal (USA) Law to investigational use. Not available for sale in the United States.
